50 Cent: Before I Self-Destruct

After a couple of lacklustre outings, 50 Cent's much-delayed fourth album recovers his inner gangsta. The malign influence of hip-hop's adopted Machiavelli, Robert Greene, author of The 48 Laws of Power, rings out on "Death to My Enemies"; "Hold Me Down" appears to be a love song to a gun. But while producers like Dr Dre and Scott Storch are firing nicely, 50's flows remain leaden. He sounds remedial, even when spitting out disses on "So Disrespectful", the album's liveliest rhyme. An Eminem guest spot on the aptly named "Psycho" (motif: serial killing) leaves the breathless 50 awaiting emergency services.